


We're all in this together

by Reinedutemps



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Still Have Powers, Charles is a huge nerd, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, M/M, and Erik likes it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-12
Updated: 2014-08-17
Packaged: 2018-02-12 20:31:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2123652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reinedutemps/pseuds/Reinedutemps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Reviews and comments are always welcome!<br/>Thanks to the lovely Dushenka for helping me with headcanons and tears and feels when needed and of course to my Charles that bears with me and with my impelling madness.</p></blockquote>





	1. Nerd Herd

'Raven, please, stop doing that ! You're gonna ruin it before we get to school !' said Ms Robinson.  
Raven stopped fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.  
It was a nice, new skirt, and she hated it.  
In another time, in another place, she might have liked it a lot, but in that car inexorably headed to her new high school it was the worst clothing item ever.  
It was almost mid calf, and Raven thought it was too long for a nanny, let's say for a girl.  
At the same time though she wished it was the longest skirt ever made, so long she could drown in it and never reappear.  
She didn't quite fancy the idea to go to school that morning.  
Or every other morning to be, truth be told.  
'..Are you even listening to me ?' said with a sigh Ms Robinson.  
'Yes. No. Sorry, Ms Robinson.' replied Raven, looking at her feet.  
Ms Robinson sighed again.  
'I told you you can call me Mum. And you know, everyone would feel like you do, going about in a new town, getting to know new friends, going to a different school... I get it, it seems difficult, but you'll do just fine !' smiled the woman behind the wheel.  
Raven smiled back, hoping she wouldn't notice her courtesy smile, aka fake smile.  
If only she knew.  
For a moment, Raven thought about confessing to this woman, this stranger claiming to be her new mother her darkest secret.  
'Besides, you are so pretty ! You're gonna have lots of boys at your feet in the blink of an eye .. you are so lucky to be so beautiful, unlike me. I was a pretty bad looking ugly duckling at your age, you know ?' reprised Ms Robinson, smirking in a desperate search for a common (and safe) ground between girls.  
Raven made herself blush, one of the many advantages(alongside the blue skin and yellow eyes) of the mutation her new foster mother won't hear about any time soon.  
She kept smiling, blaming her nerves to the new situation and listening politely to the blabber erupting from the woman travelling with her.  
Finally, she was dropped on the side walk right in front the school, with the promise (or was it a threat ? Raven couldn't say) to come back pick her up at 17 sharp.  
Raven even waved with her hand at the ever smaller car vanishing in the distance.  
She was proud of her acting.  
But she couldn't do a damn thing about her nerves.  
She tried to breath to calm herself down.  
And failed.  
She was considering the appealing idea to botch school before anyone noticed her when someone approached her.  
« Hello ! Are you Raven, by any chance ? » said a voice with a strong British accent.  
She snapped her head towards the source of the voice.  
It was a pale guy, with dark hair and ridiculously blue eyes.  
He flashed her a smile brightest than the sunlight straight in you eyes first thing in the morning.  
« Hello, hello ! It's so nice to meet you ! My name is Charles Xavier. » kept going the strange guy, stretching out a hand.  
He hadn't even waited for her to answer but he seemed so sincere while telling her it was nice to meet her she was almost convinced.  
Raven was puzzled, but she shook the offered hand anyway.  
« Hello ? » tried Raven, making it look more like a question than a sentence.  
The smile that followed that though was bright and genuine, and Raven noticed she had almost calmed down.  
That was strange.  
Charles furrowed his eyebrows for a second, seeming concerned about something, but it was so quick that Raven thought she had imagined it.  
« Oh, but where are my manners ! I'm supposed to be your guide and I'm making you wait in the cold, poor thing.. Come on, let's get inside! » chirped him, all happy and smiling.  
He started toward the main building stairs, his steps quick and sure.  
Raven, still puzzled, followed him.  
I want to know who this is and what his intentions are, she told herself.  
Actually, she was only damn curious about that strange British guy.  
The strange British guy seemed to know everyone in the school.  
He said hello to almost every single soul in a 5 miles radium (Raven discovered herself thinking that he would probably say hello to every single tree or plant in the campus as well, given the chance) and he flashed that blinding smile of his more than a photographer at a wedding party.  
Charles started to talk about the school (' Have you ever heard of this school before ? It's great, its story dates back in 1893 when the Duke...') and to indicate useful classrooms, labs and offices. « That's the chemistry lab, sometimes it smells like eggs for unknown reasons, that's the Dean office - Hi Barbara ! - and there's the library, they held an illegal turtle vs children race there once back in the days, no one ever knew how the fudge did they smuggle turtles AND children inside the school unnoticed, oh, and there's the cafeteria, you should really try the cake, it's awesome! »  
he was unstoppable, a cheering flood of happiness and anecdotes about the school.  
Raven was overwhelmed.  
A part of her wanted to hug him and thank him because she was actually laughing , another part wanted to strangle him silent and make him listen to her questions.  
Charles stopped talking abruptly, almost sensing her unease.  
« I'm sorry, I tend to get carried off when I talk about things I like. Do you have any questions ? » said he, smiling again but somehow shyly.  
Raven found her mouth gone dry and started stammering the first thing that popped up in her mind.  
« why do you wear such a pull over ? »  
Charles looked down at his outfit.  
He was wearing a light blue sweater over a shirt a shade lighter and black trousers, killing it with a pair of black elegant shoes.  
« Why, I like it ! It's very comfy, hot and groovy ! » he replied, sounding offended but with an evil twinkle in his eyes.  
Raven laughed (again?) and thought 'Nerd'.  
« Oh, so you think I'm a nerd ? Well, I don't get why people think it's insulting for someone to be passionate about someth- »  
Charles stopped mid-sentence and stared at Raven, eyes wide with something akin to fear.  
But the girl was too stunned to notice.  
« you are a telepath. » she said.  
« What ? No, How could I be ? It's physically impossible, I mean- » started complaining him but she dragged him along with her in the nearest empty classroom.  
« I can't believe it ! You are a telepath ! My first day -no, my first hour in this fucking school and the first person I meet it's a fucking telepath ! » she spat out.  
« First of all, you shouldn't swear, it's not ladylike, second of all, there's no such a thing like telepaths » he punctuated.  
« Then explain to me how you could have guessed what I was thinking in that precise moment. »  
She crossed her arms, defiantly.  
« It's a common opinion about me, I'm afraid » he observed, a gentle smile coming back to his face.  
« I've just learned to know the symptoms of an impending labelling » he continued, shrugging.  
She realised that it was logic, it was actually a logic thing,that she jumped to conclusions and he was right and she was so damn wrong and-  
Then she felt it.  
In her mind, loud and clear but at the same time soft and silent like a feather on snow.  
A different figment of thoughts, almost invisible, was streaming inside her own stream of conscience.  
He was making her think she was wrong.  
If she wasn't so damn excited, she would have been deadly angry with him for forcing a thought upon her.  
Instead, for the first time in a long time, she smiled.  
For her, different was like breathing, she was so used to change herself that every other change would be obvious to her.  
Her own thoughts were always reshaping and changing, swelling and thinning endlessly ; Charles' thoughts, on the other hand, were flowing calmly, like a brook in summer.  
And they shone bright like a sun.  
« Your thoughts are very bright. » she said, tilting her head to the side and placing two fingers to her temple.  
Charles appeared to be ready to say something but stopped when he saw Raven's skin slowly darkening to a deep shade of blue, her eyes switching from green to yellow, blond hair turning into blood red.  
Charles stared at her for a long second.  
Raven panicked.  
What if she had been wrong all along ?  
What if Charles was only a human and she blew up her cover forever ?  
She would have to run, to hide forever, to-  
 _« Wonderful ! » ___the power of Charles smile could support a small town electrical needs for a few months.  
She realised he hadn't moved his mouth while smiling.  
He was talking inside her head.  
She found herself smiling back.  
It wasn't half as bad as a first day of school.  
Turned out Charles was actually a telepath, actually a nice guy and actually a nerd.  
It didn't take long for the two of them to become friends, even with Raven's natural diffidence and age difference (Charles seemed very eager to gift her with every single detail of his life).  
He introduced her to his friends, who 'happened to be mutants as well', as Charles said.  
Sean, Alex, Darwin and Hank were just as thrilled as Charles to have another mutant among them, all but Hank and Moira bragging about their abilities and asking her about hers.  
At a certain point Raven realised that Hank was just too shy to boast around and that Moira was 100 % human.  
She looked toward Charles, who seemed to have grasped her unspoken question mid- air.  
« She is human but she accepts us, and she bakes great cookies ! » explained cheerily the Nerd King, hugging Moira tightly.  
She didn't remember anything about her classes, but when Ms Robinson came pick her up that evening Charles hugged her goodbye like he had known her his whole life.  
She smiled while climbing into the car, and she felt strangely empty when at some point of the road the calm golden ribbon of thoughts disappeared from her mind.  
« So, pumpkin, was it that bad for a first day ? » Asked Ms Robinson.  
« No. » she smiled, « Not at all. »

Raven soon became one of the members of Charles' group.  
She learnt that Charles knew almost everyone because of his work as Scholastic Counsellor and he helped freshmen in need, no charge.  
He was always smiling (Sean snorted when she pointed that out, and said that Charles could probably smile someone to death effortlessly. Raven believed that.) and he was always dressed like a pampered spoiled rich heir, but it suited him and he was anything but helpful, kind and supportive, nothing like a rich brat ( Alex did call him like that, but Charles didn't mind and offered him a slice of home made pie instead).  
Basically, Charles Xavier was a huge, happy, smiling nerd.  
Raven learnt also that Charles was the best student in the whole school.  
No matter what the subject was, he excelled, but he was always ready to help others achieve better results and never boasted around his personal accomplishments.  
Raven thought she had met a saint surrounded by weird sinners.  
And she liked both holiness and evilness of that bizarre group of his.  
Sean was the prankster, always messing up and bickering with Alex, the tough guy.  
That would have been a problem since the former could use supersonic waves to destroy things and the latter could beam plasma rays out of his own body, and a fight might have ended very badly, but luckily for them Charles was always there as Ambassador of Good Intents and Bringer of Peace  
The two of them were good friend, though.  
Hank was shy and introvert, barely talked even when asked a question, so Raven gaped at him in surprise when at lunch, during a chat about genetics with Charles, he started talking and seemed to be unstoppable.  
Charles' eyes twinkled with excitement as he responded and asked more questions about something called a 'receding gene' or something, bringing the conversation to a level so high the others could understand only the conjunctions between words.  
When Hank noticed Raven staring at him in amazement, he stopped talking abruptly and blushed so hard Alex sprang up to fetch the doctor 'because, mutation or no, that colour wasn't natural'.  
Charles was laughing his ass off and was patting poor Hank on one shoulder as to encourage him to keep talking.  
Darwin was trying to seem concerned for Hank and to hide his laughter but failed miserably.  
Moira giggled in a corner of what Raven started thinking of as Their table.  
Moira was human, but Charles seemed to trust her and in fact she wasn't that bad.  
She started talking about music and tv series, and Raven discovered they had a lot in common, and from then since stopped thinking about her humanity and started thinking about her as a friend.  
In two months, the six of them became as close as a family.  
It didn't matter that Charles and Moira were senior and the others younger, they got along just fine.  
And they all shared their secret mutation with each other.  
Well, everyone but Moira, but Charles swore she could keep a secret, and if Charles said so, everyone believed him.  
As in every other school Raven had been in, no human knew about them and thus she was convinced that they were the only mutants in the school.  
Until she met the Others, obviously.  
She was walking down the corridor with Charles, panicking over a chemistry test whilst Charles tried to calm her and give her mnemonic tips ( he actually called them like that, and Raven was bound to ask him what the hell mnemonic meant) when They appeared.  
Charles went suddenly stiff as They approached.  
They were four, two girls and two boys, the tallest of whom marched in top of their gang.  
They all wore dark clothing but one of the girls, that wore only pure white.  
She snorted toward Charles, her ice blue eyes trying to pierce him.  
He didn't even flinch, but sustained her gaze until she looked away.  
The leader of the Others passed so close to the two of them that his shoulder touched Charles'.  
“Xavier.” the Tall One said.  
“ Erik” answered politely but coolly Charles.  
As they passed by, Raven was too stunned by the lockers banging open at the same time to notice Charles whispering 'Punk' in response to a muttered 'Nerd' coming from Erik.  
“What the fuck just happened? How could they open all the lockers at the same time?” she muttered hastily.  
It was a great thing no one else was in the corridor right then.  
Charles started laughing.  
“How could they open all the lockers, you ask? The answer is right in front of you, sweetheart. They're mutants.”  
Raven was shocked.  
“What? Mutants? But I thought we were the only ones!”  
“And why would you have thought something like that?” Charles cocked his head to the side, seeming confused.  
“Well, you know, I thought you kinda...Harvested stray mutants to become part of your flock, or something..”  
Charles shoulder were shaking alarmingly as he laughed out loud.  
“ Oh my God, this is brilliant! Raven, you have a fantastic mind! Sorry, I picked the image out of your brain, I hadn't imagined myself as a farmer yet. And I'm flattered that you think I'd still look good in denim and manure” he winked.  
Raven tried to control the blush on her cheeks.  
“There are other mutants in our school. The four you saw earlier... You need to understand that they are mutants, like us. They just don't... share our way to see society. They consider human an inferior species. They are afraid, mind you, because humanity is capable of horrible things, but they consider themselves better men.”  
“I seem to grasp a certain disapproving tone.”  
Charles sighed.  
“They don't understand that humans are not a threat but powerful allies, if only guided to the right path of acceptance toward what's different. Mostly, they are afraid and I am not capable of helping them.” he finished , with a sad look.  
Raven opened her mouth to console him – God, he seemed so stricken- but the bell rang and the almost forgotten chemistry test slammed back in her mind full force.  
She felt her knee tremble and her voice falter and she started to sweat.  
“Oh God, oh God, I'll fail it, I know...”  
“Don't ever say things like that!” chided Charles. “ Remember yesterday, when I questioned you? You knew every single answer, you didn't fail not one. You are more than ready, just calm your mind and everything will be fine.” he said, projecting a weave of peace and serenity.  
Raven breathed deeply a few times, and looked up to Charles, eyes wide and palms sweating.  
Charles hugged her hurriedly.  
“Come on, pumpkin, go to class. I'm going to buy you hot chocolate on the way home”  
Raven reluctantly let go and went into the classroom.  
In the following days, she kept catching glimpses of the Others Four around the school, and Darwin told her that Janos had a powerful mutation that allowed him to create whirlwinds, whilst Angel could spit acid and fly.  
Yes, she had wings and no, he never actually saw her flying around.  
Emma – as she learnt from the rumours in the halls- was one of the most beautiful girls in the school, and as cool as ice.  
And cool was not intended in a positive way.  
She could flatter everyone with her blue eyes and blond hair and full lips, but she never truly smiled (or so Sean swore).  
When Raven asked what her power was, everybody stiffened.  
Charles, who in the meantime was writing something on his phone, shortly answered: “She's a telepath, a powerful one”  
He didn't add anything else and Raven didn't ask further questions.  
So she hadn't had the chance to ask about Erik, the mysterious Tall One.  
She assumed Charles hated him, or felt something akin to disliking toward the guy, she didn't think Charles was actually capable of hating someone.  
After three months since the beginning of school, Charles and Raven started walking home together after class.  
Charles had lured Ms Robinson into letting him escort her foster daughter safe back home, and he only needed to smile twice before the woman was fully convinced.  
Damned Charles and his charisma.  
She knew he wasn't using his powers to convince her, it was just him who was so damn reliable and inspiring even at first glance.  
She knew he wasn't using his powers because once, when asked if he could pry secrets in the other's mind, he paled and started shaking his head violently, saying that he would never do such a terrible thing, that he could only pick up surface thoughts and general emotions and continued like this for a while until Moira reached out to calm him.  
Raven trusted Charles with her life.  
One day, she thus took advantage of the walk from school to home to ask him more about the Tall One.  
“Sooooo, who's the Tall One?” she asked, skipping a puddle like a six year old.  
“ 'Mbeg your pardon?” said Charles, sipping his chocolate ( it had become an habit too).  
“The Tall One! The leader of the Other Mutants! Who is he?”  
“Oh, you mean Erik! He's not their leader, he's more like... a primus inter pares”  
“What the fuck is a primus- never mind, I don't really want to know.”  
“Oh, you should, knowledge is important, even if concerning a dead language! Helps you a lot, to seem smart, you know?”  
“Don't you dare do that to me, Xavier!”  
“Do what?”  
“You're trying to change the subject.”  
“ I am not.”  
“Yes, you are!”  
Charles sipped again his chocolate.  
“ And why would I do that?” asked, blue eyes piercing her with something similar to a feral look.  
“I don't know, because it's your arch nemesis? Because he wants to kill you or cripple you?”  
“What? Oh, boy, you do have a fervid imagination. Do people in real life have arch nemesis though? I think it's an outdated concept, although I must admit it has a certain allure about it...”  
“Charles Francis Xavier, if you try to divert the conversation again...”  
“Sorry, sorry. It's just that it's not on me to talk about him. You should ask him directly, if there is something you wish to know. I don't like to gossip around people, you know, I learnt the bad way that the more you know about a person the more you should keep your mouth shut.” he explained, tapping his temple with two fingers.  
“Oh. Shit. Sorry. I didn't even think it could be a problem for you, you know, I assumed... well.. shit. Fuck.”  
“Raven! For goodness' sake! That's not the proper way to express oneself! Behave!” he frowned, but relaxed quickly.  
“I'm fine with questions as long as you're fine with me not answering those that don't concern myself or my abilities, all right ? Don't make that face, I'm not offended.” said he, patting her shoulder.  
“But promise you won't swear anymore, it's not ladylike.” added, with a little smile.  
“ Alright... idiot.” she answered, bumping him with his shoulder and making him sway.  
He laughed and hugged her.  
It was like the brother she never had.  
 _I could be your big adopted brother __, said a familiar voice in her head, _if you could stomach the idea to have a brother with a British accent. __  
_I think it's a dishonour I can almost bear, if you can overcome the fact that I am perfect and you are not _____, answered her the same way.  
Charles sighed, feigning resignation.  
 _What can a poor man do? I'm willing to consider your proposition __, he said, kissing her forehead.  
As an answer, she hugged him more tightly.  
 _Brothers, she whispered mentally. ____

_Forever,he answered. ___


	2. And then I'll read a book, or maybe two or three

“Fancy a cuppa, Ms Robinson? It's Earl Grey, I bought it last time I went to London.” offered Charles, handing the lady a fine porcelain cup and a saucer.  
Raven hid her nose in her cup, masking a snort.  
When Charles wanted to flatter someone, he turned into the perfect British gentleman.  
It always worked.  
He ran a hand in his perfectly combed hair, flashed a smile,sat on the couch graciously and took his cuppa.  
On the tray before him there were an uncountable number of scones, pastries and assorted biscuits that would have made a delicatessen shop owner faint.  
Ms Robinson was more than positively impressed by this show of wealth and Britishness and was almost hypnotised by Charles' perfect manners and allure.  
“You were saying something about a trip abroad, am I correct?” prompted him, lowering his cup on his lap.  
“Ah, yes. Me and Mr Robinson,well, we were invited to a school reunion...” Raven saw Charles flinch lightly when her foster mother said 'me and mr Robinson' instead of 'Mr Robinson and I' “...and it will probably take us a few days, you know, to catch up with old friends and swap stories, and we thought that Raven would probably be bored..” she hesitated.  
“ So you're looking for someone to keep her company and perhaps to keep her out of troubles?” prompted again Charles, gently smiling.  
“Well, I would never ask you to keep her with you for four days, but maybe to check on her every once in a while?”  
“Oh, that's just nonsense! I can come over to stay with her ” he sipped his tea, then he looked like he was hit by a sudden realisation “Or she can come here, if she wants.”  
“I would never bother you as much as asking you to host her at your place...”  
Charles waved the last comment away.  
“Nonsense, that won't be a bother at all. Take a look around, there's plenty of space for a friend.”  
Charles' flat was actually more like a little dépendance for the Queen's guests.  
Raven had counted at least four empty rooms plus Charles', a study, a dining room, three bathrooms and a kitchen large enough to swallow her house and garden together.  
“My parents are almost always away, so this place is always empty, and I like having people around. It would be a pleasure to have Raven as a guest, Ms Robinson.”  
With that sentence and a smile that could have melt iron, the polite banter between Raven's mother and Charles ended.  
With a neat victory of the latter.  
So, two week after that, on a Thursday evening under a sky that threatened snow, Raven found herself at the front door of Charles' Mansion (she refused to think about it as a flat) ready to spend a few days with the King of Nerds.  
Charles opened the door before she could disentangle her hand from the amount of cases and bags she had and knock.  
“Good thing you're a telepath. Now, help me with these things.” she said, as a greeting.  
She was freezing and her nose was dripping.  
“Good thing I lit the fire, then. Come on, give me those.” he answered, grabbing a few bags and a case.  
“ I got the room near the kitchen ready for you, I hope it suits your needs.” said Charles, leading her inside.  
She glanced around.  
“What the hell happened in here? Last time I saw this room, it was a living room, not a robbery scene!”  
Charles shot her a murder glance for the curse but managed to look somewhat guilty.  
The room was packed with books, paper, sheets and posters scattered everywhere. It seemed like a grenade had exploded inside a library, not damaging anything but throwing everything out of their shelves.  
“ I'm studying for a project, and I got carried off...a little bit.”  
“A little bit? You call this a little bit? I can't even imagine you studying for finals.”  
Charles laughed.  
“I think only few trusted people will be allowed in during that terrible time, someone could get lost!” he joked, heading toward the corridor and the polished wood door near the kitchen.  
“Here we go.” he said, opening it.  
The room was as large as the living room, with bed large enough to host the whole American marching band at once and a closet big enough to guard all of the aforementioned American marching band clothes and instruments as well.  
“If you think you'll need more space, I can get the other room ready...”  
“Are you kidding me, right? This place is a castle. It's more than enough.” she dumped her stuff on the carpet near the bed, while Charles put the case and the bags leaning against the closet.  
“ I leave you alone to get refreshed a bit and to sort things out, ok? I'll be in the living room.” he said, getting out.  
“If I can find you among all those books!”  
She heard his laughter behind the door.  
After fifteen minutes, she got out and found Charles sitting on the floor with his nose deep in a book, on his leg a scribbled paper and a pen sticking out from behind his ear.  
His always neatly pressed clothes were wrinkled, his hair messy and he kept biting his lower lip, as he always did when he concentrated.  
“Let me finish this paragraph, then I'll be at your dispositions.” said he, not even glancing up. “ if you are hungry, there's something the maid had prepared on the counter.” he kept biting his lip.  
Raven turned and headed to the kitchen.  
On the counter there was enough food to sustain a small army of sumo wrestlers, and it smelled delicious.  
Raven picked up what looked dangerously like a highly expensive piece of sushi, and carefully ate that.  
It was indeed a highly expensive piece of sushi.  
And it was delicious.  
The girl thought that she could eat it all, if Charles didn't hurry up.  
With her mouth still full of rice and fish, she was turning toward the living room to call Charles when she noticed a stash of paper on the table.  
There was a note perched on top, and it was completely white but a capitol E written in black ink with a strong and definite hand.  
The stash of paper were some kind of maths homework, all neatly compiled with the same hard hand.  
It clearly wasn't Charles' hand, so it must have been some kind of homework one of Charles' student needed help with.  
Charles entered the kitchen in that moment and saw the papers.  
“Oh, I didn't hear anything from the door, he must have come from the back...” he said, going rapidly through the pages.  
“He always do that, even though I asked him not to.”  
Definitely an inopportune student  
“It must be hard for you being like a professor for the freshmen, uh?” Raven commented, helping herself with the food a little less guilty now that Charles was in the kitchen.  
“Yeah, it is...” mumbled Charles, looking over the last page.  
“You should lock your back door, anyway. You risk to wake up covered in homework and paper to grade in no time!”  
Raven turned his back to grab more food, so she didn't notice the fond look on Charles' face as he folded the little note with the E and put it in his pocket.

“Soooooooo I heard someone is living with Charles for a few days...”Sean said, plopping on the seat near her at Their table and picking a chip from his tray.  
She shrugged and kept eating her pudding.  
“My foster parents are away and I needed somewhere to stay.”  
“Wow, Darkhölme, you are a ruthless girl. To make poor Charles fall in love with you thus you can steal his money...” he shook his head, feigning disappointment. “I thought better of you.”  
She punched him on a shoulder.  
“Really, if Charles wasn't gay I would think the two of you were together!”  
Raven's spoon fell with a loud tonk.  
“What do you mean ' if Charles wasn't gay'?”  
Sean looked at her in awe.  
“You actually didn't know? Damn, Alex was right. Now I owe him five bucks. Damn!”  
“Charles is gay?”  
“Yes, you dumbo, of course he is. Although I don't think that's the correct word... I think he's all-sexual?” he made it sound like a question.  
“You mean pan-sexual?”  
“Yes, that's it, that's the word! I think that with his... gift, he sees beyond appearances, like, for real, so he's not bounded to a simple label like we are.”  
“What?” Sean asked after a few moments of silent staring from Raven.  
“I think that you are deeper than you want us to know.”  
Sean flashed a smirk.  
“Who knows? I could-”  
His last words were lost in the loud noise coming from the queue near the counter.  
Hank stood there, dripping soup, his tray on the ground, hi bag ripped open and his books scattered on the floor.  
One of the Others (Raven thought it was Janos) and the White Lady (that apparently was called Emma) with a backup of various boys and girls of uncertain smartness surrounded him.  
Emma clicked her tongue looking at Hank.  
“You are pathetic, really. Take it as an advice, sugar. Don't aim to the stars, you risk to fall down and hurt yourself badly.” she smiled.  
Seeing the expression on Hank's face, she made a compassionate face.  
“Oh, no, don't take it so bad! I'm doing this for you, sweet-cakes, so you can understand your rank and resign yourself before it's too late. Besides, you are unlucky enough with you being some kind of freak, so don't get things worse, alright?”  
Laughter erupted all around them.  
Sean was already standing, fists clenched, while Raven was boiling mad when a clear 'Hey!' sounded in the cafeteria.  
Charles was entering the door and was already striding toward Hank and Emma.  
“What's going on here?” asked, getting beside Hank.  
“Nothing that might concern you ever so slightly, Xavier.” came the answer from Janos.  
“Hank, are you ok?”  
Hank pushed his glasses up his nose and, trying to shake the soup off his clothes, nodded.  
Charles turned to face Emma and Janos.  
“What on Earth do you think you are doing?” asked, his voice perfectly calm.  
“Are you deaf? Nothing that you are concerned about, Charlie.” said Emma, picking her nails.  
Raven could feel an impelling rage and was surprised in finding out that it wasn't her own.  
It was Charles'.  
She looked at Sean, who had paled and seemed almost afraid.  
“Charles's pissed and that is not good. At all.” whispered.  
“I reckon you should reconsider your position, Emma.” The stillness in Charles' voice was enough to make Gengis Khan shiver, Raven was sure.  
“Or what? You can't do anything to me, sugar ass.”  
Charles flinched for some reason, but stood his ground and didn't reply.  
“What? You lost your tongue? You probably left it in someone's ass, you should check-”  
“What the hell do you think you are doing, exactly?” an iron voice said loudly from the back of the room.  
In the blink of an eye, Erik was approaching Emma and Charles.  
He started heading toward her when he noticed Hank still dripping soup on the floor.  
“Mein Gott, was ist passiert hier?” he said. “Hank, what happened?” he repeated.  
Hank shook his head.  
Raven knew him well enough to know that he was fighting back the tears.  
Erik lifted his head as if struck with a sudden thought.  
“So that's it. I hope you have a good explanation for this, Emma.” he said, turning to her.  
“ As I was saying to Charlie here, none of your business.”  
Erik chuckled grimly.  
“Really, Emma? Really? You know that I am not afraid of showing what I am capable of.”  
Emma raised an eyebrow, but she took a step back nonetheless.  
“ Charles, are you ok?” asked Erik, not looking away from Emma.  
“Perfectly fine, thank you. It's Hank that was injured.”  
Emma seemed to have regained her advantage as she said “ He looks fine to me. I dare say, he looks even better than usual.”  
Erik's next word was more like a low grumble rather than a proper word.  
“Apologise.”  
“What for?”  
“Apologise, to both of them. I won't repeat myself, Emma.”  
She tsked, but a millisecond later her eyes went wide with fear and and she lifted her hand to her throat.  
Raven was distant and couldn't see very well, but Emma seemed struggling for air.  
“I... apologise.” she breathed with a raspy voice.  
After that, she took a sudden, desperate deep breath, as if she was suddenly released from a strangling grip.  
Erik turned his back to her, and Janos took her elbow and lead her outside, passing near the table where Raven and Sean were.  
Raven caught a glimpse of a gold necklace around Emma's throat.  
In a few moments, the whole group that circled Hank, Charles and Erik dissipated, leaving the three of them.  
Raven sprang up and ran toward them, followed by Sean.  
“Hank, it's over. I'm sorry we couldn't help you, if it wasn't for Charles and Erik...” she felt suddenly guilty for not standing up first to defend him.  
Hank smiled sadly but squeezed her hand.  
“Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm used to it.”  
She felt a pang of sadness and guilt.  
“Sean, will you help Hank clean himself up a bit, please? ” Asked Charles, running a hand in his hair.  
“Sure. Come on man, I've got a few spare clothes in my locker, I think. I might have used them a few times but they should be almost clean!” he winked to Raven and started dragging Hank to the exit of the cafeteria.  
Hank whined in pain at the mere thought, but his cheek had regained a little colour and seemed a little too eager to follow Sean out.  
Charles turned to Erik and opened his mouth to talk but Erik preceded him.  
“I know, you could have handle it by yourself, there was no need to step in, next time I won't do that, I promise.” he said, kneeling and putting the spilled food on the tray.  
Charles closed his mouth and huffed, but smiled nonetheless.  
“You say so every time, you know that, right?”  
Erik shrugged and picked up the books left on the ground.  
“What can I say, I'm a brave knight.”  
Charles clapped him on the shoulder and took the books.  
“I'll take care to give them back to Hank.”  
Erik nodded, getting up.  
He was taller than Charles and more solid built, but Charles didn't seem at unease.  
Erik started heading out, but Charles called him back.  
“Erik?”  
“Mh?”  
“Thank you for stepping up, my friend”  
Raven swore that was a little smile tugging up the corner of Erik's mouth as he left the cafeteria.

“I don't understand why they should do that. It's just stupid, and childish. We're on the same side!”  
Charles was pacing the living room (pacing was a big word, he tried more or less to avoid stepping on the books resting on the floor).  
“Because they're arrogant brats, that's why.” Raven sat on one of the few available free seats in that sea of books and madness, eating ice cream.  
She liked staying at Charles'.  
“It just doesn't make any sense. Have you seen poor Hank? It's the fifth time this year. Fifth! I can't bear it. It drives me nuts!” Charles threw his hand up in the air in a theatrical fit of rage.  
“ The thing that surprised me the most though” said Raven, licking the spoon, “was that you know Erik.”  
Charles seemed puzzled.  
“Yes?”  
“I mean, you know know him. You called him my friend. I thought you two hated each other.”  
“And why would you think something like that?”  
“Well, you didn't want to talk about him, in the corridor you were almost glacial... you know.”  
“He loves to keep a mysterious aura around me, he says he helps my image of tough and dark guy” said a voice from the kitchen.  
Raven jumped up startled, but Charles seemed not to notice anything strange about the situation.  
Erik entered the door, a pair of keys dangling from his fingers.  
“I never said such a thing, I'm afraid.” said Charles, looking at him.  
“You did, I remember.”  
“ You clearly don't. It's not wise to lie to a telepath, you know that, right, my friend?” Charles smirked, tapping two fingers to his temple as he was used to do while talking about his mutation.  
Erik snorted in amusement.  
“Wait, wait, wait a moment. What the hell is he doing in here? And how did he come in?” Raven was standing on the couch, spoon clasped in her hand as a sword pointing to Erik.  
Erik looked at her in amusement and suddenly the spoon flew out of her hand and stood in mid air.  
She gasped and the spoon changed shape, becoming in sequence a fork, a snake, a dog, a fish, an apple and finally a necklace, that went back to Raven.  
“You are such a drama queen, Erik.” Charles sighed.  
“You don't seem to dislike it, though, Charles.” replied the tall guy.  
Charles opened the mouth to reply but thought better.  
“I'm afraid you're right, my friend.”  
“Can someone explain to me what the fuck is going on and why the hell my spoon is now a necklace??” shouted Raven.  
“Raven! What have I told you about swearing?”  
Erik was busy laughing his ass off.  
“Now I see why you like her, Charles.” he said.  
“Shut up, Erik.” replied Charles, teasing.  
“No, don't shut up, Erik, please do tell me what the fuck is going on.” said Raven, gazing at Charles in challenge.  
“First of all, Charles' right, you shouldn't swear. Second, you are a mutant, Charles is a mutant and I am a mutant. End of story.”  
“Erik!”  
“What? It's not my fault I have the gift of making things simple.”  
Charles sighed.  
“You didn't even introduce yourself properly.”  
“Neither did she.”  
“She wasn't the one who burst in and started reshaping spoons just to look cool.”  
“Fair enough. My name is Erik Lehnsherr, I'm Aries and I enjoy sunsets and walks on the beach.” he said, in a mocking tone.  
“Well, I'm Raven Darkhölme, I'm Pisces..” she suddenly morphed in a perfect copy of Erik, “...And I don't like people mocking me”  
The look of sheer amazement and surprise on Erik's face was worth of the strenuous effort she made to morph in such a form.  
She shifted back in her more familiar blond form, and Erik made a bow.  
She felt her chest puff up with pride.  
“Oh, for God's sake, could you two behave like grown ups?” sighed Charles.  
“Shut up, you're eighteen and you are already a grumpy old man.” grumbled Erik, idly moving a finger to make every single small metal object in the room float around.  
“Erik Lehnsherr, you know that I am perfectly able to make you believe you are a barking dog for the rest of your days, right?” threatened Charles, grasping pins and pens mid air.  
“Yeah, whatever.”  
“By the way, why are you here? And most important, how did you get in?” asked Raven, slowly growing comfortably enough to sit again.  
“ I was worried about what happened this morning at school, so I dropped by to check if everything was fine. And as you've seen, I'm quite familiar with metal, what's a lock to me?” he shrugged, going toward the kitchen.  
“Tea, anyone?”  
“Earl Grey-” started Charles.  
“- with milk, no sugar, I know. Raven?” he made it sound casual and normal.  
“No, thank you?” she uttered, uncertain.  
“Got it.” he disappeared in the kitchen.  
“Don't mind him, he always do that. He likes being at the centre of the attention, and he loves to brag.” Charles sighed, but looked somewhat pleased.  
“I think I'm in shock.” said Raven. “And this necklace is actually cute.” she noticed.  
“He pretends to be tough when he wants to impress, underneath all that gruff manners he's a sweetheart. And he didn't popped the lock, he has the keys.” Charles sat more comfortably on the floor and picked up a book, running a hand in his hair.  
Raven stayed put, thoughts milling in her brain, trying to sort everything out.  
Suddenly, she realised the weight of what Charles has said.  
“What do you mean he has the keys-”  
“Here comes the tea!” said merrily Erik.  
He somehow found a way right through the books to Charles, who didn't even looked up from the book he was buried in,but he lifted a hand and grabbed the cup he was offered.  
From Erik's mug poured the rich smell of hand brewed coffee.  
“You were saying something, Raven?” he asked.  
“Nothing particular, no.”  
He shrugged and found his way back to the hearth. The man must have some kind of secondary mutation that allowed him to find the path out of Charles book mess.  
Maybe it was something related to the Earth magnetic field or something.  
He stood there, leaning against the mantelpiece, sipping hot coffee and watching Charles while a blob of bright metal shone in front of him, changing shape with every breath.  
Before the time he spent watching Charles was a bit over the level of 'acceptable', the clock of the nearby church chimed.  
“ Scheiße, es ist spät!” muttered Erik, swallowing quickly his last sip of coffee and making the metal lye on the mantelpiece.  
“Sorry Charles, I've got to go today, I've got a night shift at the Hellfire.”  
Charles – and that was the most shocking thing Raven witnessed the whole day- actually lifted his head from the book and made a disappointed expression.  
Erik laughed.  
“Come on, don't be sad, I'll pick up Chinese next time to make up for your loss.”  
“You know how to bribe me. Have a nice evening, and don't work too hard!” Charles said at the exiting silhouette.  
“' right Mum!”  
“And be careful when coming home!” he added before the door closed.  
The answer that came sounded dangerously like 'fuck you', but Charles didn't let show that he heard it.  
Raven waited a few moments before asking anything.  
“So there is a way to make you look away from a book.” she teased.  
“Mh?”  
“Erik. He made you look away from your book.” she insisted.  
“Yes, he went away before we were done.”  
Raven started thinking the worse things.  
Charles seemed to pick that up as he laughed aloud.  
“We use to play chess every once in a while, when we're not too busy. He's a great player, not as good as me, though.”  
“Chess? God, he's right, you are old.”  
“Oi, that's not fair! As in many other things, to play chess requires two! Plus, it's a very relaxing game, helps you calm your mind. I appreciate that, from time to time.” he said, tapping his temple.  
“Well, it's easy for you, you can see your opponent's move in his head before he can actually make it.”  
Charles' mood darkened a bit.  
“You know that I would never do that to anyone. I only pick up projected thoughts or strong emotions-”  
“-Even when you don't use you power, I know.”  
Raven paused for a bit.  
“But you could, could you?” she asked, shyly.  
“Do what?”  
“Read another's mind completely, even to their darker...place?”  
Charles remained silent for the longest of times, biting his lower lip and staring at Raven with those blue eyes of his.  
Finally, he answered.  
“Yes, I could. And very easily, if I need to be honest. It's just that I don't want to.”  
Raven nodded, mostly to reassure him, but couldn't help but ask him another question.  
“Can you promise me you'll never go prying in my mind?” she blurted out.  
Charles looked miserable, almost on the verge of tears.  
Raven hurriedly tried to adjust her position.  
“I trust you, don't get me wrong, but I want to be reassured.”  
Charles should have picked up her weave of unease and regret because the stricken look disappeared and a little smile took his place.  
“I get it, don't worry. I promise I won't go prying inside your mind without your permission, unless you're in mortal danger or you are going out on a date with a guy I don't know, which is a synonym of mortal danger, in my opinion.” he grinned.  
She threw him a pillow.  
“Raven?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Can you play chess?”  
“Yes.”  
“Do you want to play a bit?”  
“...I'm gonna win so hard you'll flip over your sorry old ass.”  
They played a few matches (Raven didn't win not even once, Charles was really good) and even when the light from the fireplace dimmed, a king of chess made of bright metal shone on the mantelpiece, unnoticed by the two players.


	3. Run for your life

“Professor Howlett really is some kind of evil offspring ! He made us run fifteen lapses around the school, that's not human!” whined Sean.  
“Well, technically you are not human.” punctuated Darwin.  
“Oh, shut up, it's easy for you, you can adapt to the rhythm!” mocked Sean.  
Raven was too winded to be able to answer.  
The fact that Sean was right was astonishing, but Howlett was indeed a jerk.  
Only Charles (obviously) got along more than well with him and, for some reason, Howlett adored him.  
After showering Raven, Sean and Darwin exited the gym and found Moira in the middle of the hallway distributing leaflets for the next election campaign to the passers by.  
“Hi guys!”  
“Hi, Mo. What's going on?” Darwin adjusted his backpack.  
She smiled as she handed a leaflet to a second year girl.  
“Nothing particular, I'm overworked as a member of the school council as they deemed appropriate leave to me the task of 'inform the public'.” she made a motion with her hand to show the leaflets. “Basically, I'm a slave. Anyway, I should have the evening off so we can go watch the match together.” She smiled, but she dropped it as soon as she saw the vacant expressions of the others.  
“I bet Charles forgot to tell you.” she sighed.  
“Tell us what?  
“Today is 12th December.”  
Raven and the others shared confused looks.  
“Yes? So?”  
“The football semifinals between our school and Worcester?”  
Darwin smacked his forehead.  
“Shit! It's today? That motherfucker didn't tell us!”  
Moira shook her head.  
“I was sure he wouldn't. He doesn't change. Anyway, I am telling you right now, so I expect to see you at the field at 15.00 sharp, alright?”  
“We'll be there, don't worry!” waved Sean as the moved toward the cafeteria.  
“I'm starting to feel a bit repetitive, but can someone explain to me what is going on?” Raven asked.  
“Today our school team will fight for the right of going to the final by challenging our rival, the Worcester team!” Sean said, excitedly.  
“And that is interesting because...?”  
Sean and Darwin shared a look.  
“She really doesn't know...”  
“Incredible...”  
“Guys...” raven's tone was a danger itself.  
Darwin explained: “ Our football team was a lame one, we never won a single match until the new captain showed up three years ago. Last year we won the championship, and this year we've not been defeated once yet. Guess who the captain is.”  
The smirk on Sean's face was a storytelling canvas.  
“No way.” Raven was open mouthed.  
“Way.” giggled Sean.  
“Alex is the captain?” Raven asked.  
“What? No! You spoiled the pathos, Raven! Come oooon, you're no fun at all!” Sean even stomped a foot on the ground.  
“No, it's not Alex, he plays basket. It's Charles.”  
“No fucking way. Charles? Charles Xavier?”  
“Yes.”  
“Are you sure we are talking about the same Charles Xavier I know? The short one, British accent, nerd, bookworm?”  
“Positive.” Sean was giggling like a girl.  
“And are you a hundred percent sure you are not mocking me?”  
“It's the truth, I swear.” Darwin lifted his hands up as if pleading innocence.  
“You can see for yourself his evening, anyway” Sean added.  
“You bet your ass I will.”  
The bell rang as to remind everyone that next period was starting.  
Raven started sweating as she always did before a chemistry class.  
Darwin noticed and patted her back.  
“I know, Shaw's a jerk, we all think that. Just try to relax, I'm almost certain that he can smell fear.”  
“Wow, Darwin, you sure know how to reassure me.”  
Darwin laughed and Sean started walking backwards to his English literature class.  
“I'm sorry ye peasants, I'm going to have a good hour sleep in lit class!”  
Raven threw at him her crumpled leaflet.  
“Thou art a pompous ass, innit.” she shouted at him.  
She felt the shadow looming on her a bit too late.  
“You sure have a quick tongue for a literary banter, miss Darkhölme. I hope you do have the same ability for my subject as well” Professor Shaw licked his lip like a lizard, his glasses down his nose to show his piercing and merciless eyes.  
Raven's throat was dry and she managed only to make a sound very similar to the whimper of a very small chihuahua.  
Shaw grinned his evil grin and opened the door to his classroom for Darwin and her.  
“ Enter mine class, if that pleases thee, for thou art late indeed.” he said.  
Raven shot a last glance at Sean, who waved at her sympathetically.  
The bright ribbon of thoughts in the back of her head swelled, and Raven knew Charles had felt her unease.  
As he sent a wave of calm and serenity that stopped her hands from shaking, she marvelled at the strength of her friend's mutation, but it was a quick thought, cut short by the murdering glance Shaw gifted her with.  
She breathed deeply and walked in.  
It was a sort of thrilling thought the one of being able to watch Charles in an environment that wasn't school, the library or his book-filled living room.  
She kept getting distracted during class (and Shaw did notice, giving her an extra paper due the next Monday that would take her all weekend to finish) but she couldn't help but concentrate only on the oncoming match.  
Finally, after the bell rang, Shaw dismissed his terrified class and Darwin and Raven flew away toward the field.  
They were almost an hour early, but Moira had warned them that the seats were going to sell away like bread.  
Luckily there were still some classes inside, so they found a whole free bench in the second row.  
Raven was shivering with excitement.  
She liked sports and was deadly curious to see Charles at work.  
The stall grew crowded as time passed by.  
It was about 15:30 when the school team made his appearance on the field to do some warm up.  
Charles' perfectly combed hair were recognisable even from the distance, and the way he carried himself unmistakable.  
He was laughing and patting his team mates on their backs as to encourage them, his light blue team shirt matching his eyes that shone happily across the field.  
Sean,Alex and Moira had hastily joined them a few moments earlier and they were chatting with Darwin about something called 'Brotherhood'. Raven thought it was another of their video games or anime series.  
Sitting near the edge of the bench, she let herself be lulled by the noise her friends were making and enjoyed her inner peace.  
In none of the schools she went to before she ever felt at ease like she felt in that very moment, she had always feared contact, let alone hanging out with friends.  
She would always be grateful to Charles for what he did for her, even though he seemed to do that with everyone, being all kind and smiling and protective.  
Hell, he even helped freshmen every day to improve their grades or to succeed a previously failed exam.  
For free.  
He was just like that.  
She was dragged out of her reverie when the loud group of friends grew suddenly quiet as a shadow was cast on her.  
She looked up and saw Erik's green eyes ( weren't they blue last night?) staring back at her.  
“Erik! What are you doing here? You seem a little.. winded up?” she sat up, a little uncertain on how to greet him.  
He was indeed a little bit flustered, heavy breathing coming out his mouth in small white puffs due to the cold weather.  
“That fucker didn't tell me he was gonna play today, so when I heard I was halfway back home and had to take a run to make it here in time.” he answered, panting a bit (no one question what 'fucker' he was talking about).  
Moira was eyeing him with eyes as wide as tea saucers, Sean's mouth was hanging open and Alex' jaw was clenched shut tightly. Darwin looked chill enough, but with the corner of her eyes Raven noticed his shape shifting lightly under his clothes, adapting to the situation.  
“Uhm, hey, hi guys.” Hank's voice came from behind Erik's muscular figure.  
Sean's mouth would have detached itself if it were possible.  
“Hank, man, what are you doing with him?” asked Alex, stressing the last word.  
“Ehm.. we met on our way here, and I guess we made the run together to make it here in time?” as usual, he made his sentence sound more like a question than an actual sentence.  
Erik's eyebrow had lifted dangerously.  
“Relax, guys, he's nice.” Raven said, trying to be diplomatic. “Well, he actually is a bit rude, but he is nice.”  
They didn't seem quite convinced, and Hank kept pushing his glasses up his nose, as he did when he was embarrassed.  
“Charles thinks he's nice, alright?”  
Hearing Charles' name made them all relax at the same time.  
It's a fucking magic word, thought Raven.  
They made room for Hank to sit among them, but they didn't seem to for the same thing for Erik.  
Raven rolled her eyes and made room herself on the edge of the bench, getting a little too tight between Erik and Darwin's shoulder.  
Erik made a weird nod with his head as he sat down. Raven interpreted that as a silent thank you.  
He was still a bit flustered and he unwrapped the dark blue scarf he wore around his neck.  
Raven stared at him.  
Now that she was taking a closer look, she noticed that he was beautiful.  
Not like nice, cute or normal beautiful, but beautiful beautiful.  
He had strong features, a hard look, straight nose and a squared jaw. His default expression was 'frown', so his forehead was constantly wrinkled.  
But he had something classic about him, like a deep wisdom that arrived from days of an ancient past until their days. His eyes were deep, no matter what colour they looked like, like he was the bearer of a lot of secrets that he would share with very few people, possibly no one.  
He was stunning gorgeous.  
Raven wondered how could she have missed that before.  
He ran a hand between his dark gold hair and seemed to tense abruptly.  
Raven feared for her life; if he had spotted her, she was almost sure he would kill her with a single glance.  
But it wasn't her the reason of his sudden tensing.  
“Oi! Up there! What are you doing here?” The British accent was unmistakable.  
“We're here to see you play!” Sean shouted, making everyone's ears ring in a three miles radium.  
Charles sighed.  
“Who told you that?”  
“Moira did.” Sean said, exposing the spy.  
“Moira! I told you not to tell anybody!” Charles pouted.  
Moira made a 'sorry not sorry' face.  
“Anyway, I'm more than sure that you all have better things to do.”  
“And miss the opportunity to see you running around? No way.” Alex snorted.  
Charles crossed his arms.  
“And I think you and Mira should think about the prom decorations. You're a bit late on schedule, am I correct?” Moira had the decency to blush.  
“Darwin, you have an essay to finish and Sean, I don't need to tell you you have an exam to pass this term, right?” every named person looked a bit embarrassed but Sean, who nodded enthusiastically for some unknown reason.  
“And Raven...” Charles turned to face her. “A little bird told me you have an extra paper due tomorrow for chemistry. When are you going to do that, if you please?”  
Raven turned and punched Darwin on the shoulder.  
“I told you not to tell him!”  
“Sorry! It slipped! I was thinking about it while talking with him in here” and he tapped his temple “ And he picked it up. I'm sorry, babe.”  
She sighed.  
“Ehi, that's not fair though!” Sean complained.  
“What?” said Alex.  
“He scolded everyone but Hank and Gloomy Erik there! Anyway, what is he doing in here?”  
Sean asked the good questions.  
Charles seemed a little unprepared for those questions but recovered soon.  
“Hank's been working hard all week whilst you wasted your time on video games or on the internet, so he is the only one to have the right to waste his time, although if I were him I wouldn't spend it watching me run, it's actually an awful show.”  
Sean arched an eyebrow, not satisfied.  
“What about Gloomy Erik?”  
“Stop calling him like that, Sean, that's impolite. And I think he's got better things to do as well, don't you, Erik?” he said looking up to look at him.  
He suddenly blushed and blurted out “No, nothing like that, Erik. Stop projecting, please.”  
They all stared at Erik, who was sporting a lazy smirk.  
“What? What? What did he project?” Sean asked, minding everyone's business but his own.  
“Nothing I can't handle, Sean.” Charles answered, eyes still locked on Erik.  
Raven felt Erik stiffening on her side. He was gaping at Charles, eyes wide open while Charles smirked in return.  
“See? You're not the only one that can fathom images to have an impact on the audience.” Charles said smugly.  
Erik tipped an invisible hat.  
“Ehi, Chuck, you gonna come or do I have to carry you on the field?” Professor Howlett screamed from across the field.  
“I'm coming, coach!” Charles shouted back.  
“ 'Chuck?' Really? That's a shitty surname.” Erik grunted.  
“Erik, mind your tongue. I don't mind it, in fact, although it's a bit too American for my taste. Well, I've got to go. You are free to leave whenever you want!” Charles said, waving and starting to run to his team mates.  
“Howlett is Canadian.” uttered in a low voice Erik.  
Raven noticed he was grinning like an idiot, but she didn't think her life was so useless as to make him notice it. She cared about her life, after all.  
Meanwhile, the other team had arrived, their blood red shirts making them similar to devils rather than football players.  
The captains shook hands (Charles was a good feet shorter than the other one and God help him he smiled while shaking hands) and the match started a few moments later.  
Raven was no expert in football but she thought the fame started a little idly, everyone almost strolling, seeming not interested.  
But then, the Reds scored a goal.  
The tribune went “Nooooooo!” as the player who scored was submerged by his team mates.  
From that moment on, something changed.  
As they were expecting it, the blue changed formation and with perfect coordination started leading the game. The Reds were taken aback from that sudden change and more than one stood still as their enemies flashed past them.  
Truth be told, Charles was pretty damn good at football for a bookworm.  
He was a flash on the field,leading the charge, short but quick, light as a feather and precise as a sniper.  
Ten minutes after the first goal of the Reds, he scored twice in a row, cheering loudly and throwing his fist in the air, before disappearing under his roaring team mates.  
The tribune roared even louder, Erik included.  
When Charles scored the third time, Raven was so happy she threw her arms around Erik's neck and hugged tightly, and was shocked by feeling him hug her back while shouting something loudly in German.  
Then the Reds scored again, regaining a little faith after the triplet.  
But Charles seemed unstoppable, and scored a fourth and last time.  
He looked up toward where they were sitting, screaming and smiling, his damp hair all ruffled, cheeks red and eyes shining.  
“Yes! Wohooo!” he cheered.  
Raven was almost sure he was staring at Erik, cheering at her side, and wondered why.  
The match finished thirty minutes later with a neat victory for the Blue.  
Charles went personally shake hands with every player of the other team, and Raven was sure he thanked them for the beautiful match.  
When he finally exited the field, almost everyone was already gone home but the seven of them and a few girls from first year, that eyed Charles giggling and hiding behind each other.  
“You are still here, unbelievable.” Charles said, his sport bag on a shoulder, hair still damp not from sweat this time but the water of the shower.  
“You were fucking great back there!” Sean exulted.  
“Thank, Sean.” Charles grinned, and the fact that he didn't say anything about the swearingwas clearly something.  
Darwin, Alex and Moira greeted him as well, and they soon excused themselves (Charles was right earlier when he said they had plenty of things to do, but they were too proud and stubborn to say so.)  
Charles, Erik and Raven were left alone with te young girls.  
“Really, Charles, I didn't expect you to be so good at this!” Raven said, hugging him and messing his already ruffles hair.  
Charles kissed her on her forehead, and that gesture led to some pig squeaky sound from the group of young girls standing by.  
Charles noticed them and smiled.  
“Hello. Can I help you somehow?” He said, polite as always.  
“Yes, ehm... you were good and we're... ehm.. fans... and... you... sign this?” the bravest of them said, handing him a piece of paper and a pen with shaking hands.  
Charles' face was the image of surprise, but with what Raven guessed was a quick mind scan he recovered and, sporting his most charming smile, accepted pen and paper and started writing.  
“To whom should I dedicate it?”  
“Megan!”  
“Shirley!”  
“Nat and Maria!” they said at the same time.  
Charles laughed.  
“One at the time, please! Erik, lend me your back, I can't write properly.” he said, not waiting for an answer but putting the paper on Erik's back and listening as the girls repeated their names.  
Erik stood placidly, waiting for him to finish.  
After handing back paper and pen, Charles went for a hug with the girls, who seemed more than eager to comply.  
They left jumping and giggling like schoolgirls.  
“Technically, they are.” Charles said, picking up her thoughts.  
Raven punched him friendly on a shoulder.  
They started heading home, Erik trailing placidly behind.  
Charles was ravishing, his perfect allure lost for once, his hair sticking everywhere, cheeks red and lips even redder from the cold, eyes shining against his pale freckled skin.  
“We should take take away to celebrate! Do you like Chinese, Raven?” Charles asked happily.  
“Very much, but I'm kinda broke..” She apologised.  
“Nonsense, today's on me. Erik? Do you have to work or will you grant us the honour of your presence?”  
Erik grabbed his phone and called a number.  
“Azazel? Yes, it's Erik. I'm taking the night off. Yes. No, you still owe me,you know that. Yes. Yes. Ok. Alright. See you.” He put his phone in his pocket.  
“Now I'm free.”  
Charles clapped his hands enthusiastically.  
“Fantastic!”  
“Oh, shit.” Raven stopped abruptly, paling.  
“What? What happened?” Charles worried.  
“My chemistry paper. It's due Monday. I completely forgot. And I'm crap at chemistry, it'll take me the whole weekend. Shit.”  
Charles and Erik shared a look.  
“If you promise not to swear again tonight, Erik will help you, right, Erik?”  
Erik's eyes were iron.  
“ To make Shaw go mad all over again? It'll be my pleasure.”

The fire was crackling in the fireplace as they ate Chinese directly from the boxes.  
Erik had put aside for a moment his wonton and was writing something on a paper. He pretended not to notice Charles stealing bit of his food until the latter went for the last dumpling, and that was when Charles' fork (he couldn't use the sticks to save his life, it was an awful show to look upon) turned into a duck in Charles' hand, not allowing him to steal again.  
Charles pouted but Erik did not lift his head until ten minutes later when he gave the paper to Raven.  
It was a perfect essay on hydrogen bond, detailed with drawings and formulae.  
He had done it in less than twenty minutes, without even looking at the book.  
Raven was stunned as she eyed incredulously her now finished essay  
“How the..fudge did you do that?”  
An appraising look appeared on Charles' face when she didn't swear.  
Erik simply shrugged.  
“I was good at chemistry. In Poland we study it from middle school.”  
“He was the best of our year in chemistry, really. He's a genius in maths, too.” Charles sounded proud.  
“Shaw's a bastard, though.” Erik munched the last dumpling.  
Charles sighed because the swearing ban didn't apply to Erik as well.  
“Even though that wouldn't have been my choice of words, I agree. He's not nice, his mind is... dark and twisted.” Charles shivered.  
Charles not liking someone was a first.  
“have you ever used your power to.. ease your way in the studies?” Raven asked.  
Erik laughed out loud.  
“Him? Never. He would rather stay up all night to learn all the books by heart than to pry in someone else's to get the answer.”  
Charles nodded.  
“You lose the point of studying if you cheat. Well, if you cheat regularly.” Charles corrected with a grin.  
“You use it on others from time to time, though.” Erik said to him.  
“Only when you mess around and I have to prevent an impending national crisis due to the revealing of human with strange superpowers.” Charles retorted, taking some pork from Erik's box with his duck-now fork again.  
“So you did interfere with that!” Raven said, chewing on chop swei. “It seemed weird that nobody was around when he did that Jedi thing with the lockers.”  
Charles looked angelic.  
“I simply suggested everyone coming nearby that they had probably better things to do than going down that precise corridor.”  
“And you did the same thing in the cafeteria with Emma.” Added Erik.  
“I just got people distracted a bit, that's it.”  
“You are a bastard, you know that?” Erik shouldered him playfully.  
“And you are a drama queen.” Charles picked him on the hand with the fork, before it turned into a very cute small teapot.  
Raven started laughing.  
“You really are a drama queen!”  
“Don't you dare start as well, remember who helped you with your essay.” Erik threatened her with the menacing teapot.  
Raven nodded.  
“You're right, we should team up against Charles.”  
“Sounds good to me. It's a great thing to have a common enemy.” They solemnly shook hands.  
“You two are getting along too well. I'm going to have you both think you live inside the Nutcracker and force you to dance your way to school.” Charles faked resignation.  
“Can you really do that?”  
“Yes I can.”  
Raven looked at Erik, who shrugged.  
“He can, for real. Trust me, it comes from experience and no, before you ask, you don't really want to know what kind of experience it was.”  
Charles smiled at the memory.  
“It was fun, though.”  
“For you, perhaps.”  
“Indeed.”  
There was a moment of silence then both of them erupted in laughter, Charles' rhythmic and warm and Erik's lower and more throaty.  
“What? It wasn't so funny..” Raven started, then realisation dawned upon her.  
“You two are talking mentally while we are speaking out loud, don't you?”  
“She got us.” Erik faked disappointment.  
“Don't worry, Raven, when you'll be better at your mental defences you can do it as well. Erik had time to practice.”  
Charles had started teaching her about mental shields a month before and although she was learning quickly she was far away from being able to shield completely her thoughts.  
“If I ever know you are talking about me in your funny little brains...” She started ticking Erik with her wooden sticks.  
Charles laughed.  
The evening went on like this, chatting and joking like they were old friends (Erik and Charles actually _were __old friends) until Erik made a chessboard levitate across the room by its metal hinges.  
Raven was already drifting off on the couch, and the last thing she saw was her two friends' silhouettes against the firelight and the chessboard between them.  
Something like two hours passed and Raven woke up with a crick in her neck.  
She cracked open one eye, muffled sound of low speaking coming to her ears.  
The chessboard was still standing were it stood, Erik's black king tipped off in a clear sign of another victory of Charles' part.  
Charles and Erik were both seated on the facing couch.  
Although 'seated' was not the correct verb.  
The only definition accurate enough that Raven (still in a half-asleep state) could think of was 'cuddling'.  
But that was stupid, just stupid.  
Unless...Unless.  
Erik was half lying on the couch, his arms encircling Charles' waist as the latter rested his chin on the other's chest.  
They were speaking softly to each other but their voices were too low to be heard.  
Raven was starting to drift off again as she heard Charles say something and Erik laugh shortly after that.  
Erik lowered his head and kissed Charles in such a gentle way that it probably would have made half of the female population of their school sigh in adoration (and probably even half of the male population).  
If she had stayed awake a few moments more, she might have heard a faint whisper coming from Erik's lips.  
“Ich liebe dich, liebling.”  
But probably the cracking and spitting of the fire would have covered that as well as the answer that came from Charles' lips, just millimetres away from Erik's.  
“I love you too, my friend.”_


	4. Remember, remember

When Raven woke up the following morning, she had weird memories of the past evening.  
She was staring at the ceiling, a blanket on her that Charles had probably put there before going to bed.  
She tried to recall from her numb mind what happened the day before.  
She remembered the Chinese take away, laughing with Charles and Erik, the chessboard and what she thought it was a figment of her imagination, c'est-à-dire Charles and Erik kissing on the couch.  
She rolled over and shrieked but quickly covered her mouth.  
Charles and Erik were sleeping on the other couch, limbs entangled and a rumpled blanket thrown ungraciously on them.  
Charles' head was resting on top of Erik's chest, and he was drooling on Erik's pyjama shirt, mouth open.  
Erik had a hand on Charles' bum and the other dangling over the floor, fingers intertwined with Charles'.  
And he was snoring like a whole troupe of lumberjacks cutting wood.  
Raven started giggling uncontrollably.  
Judging by their actual position, she was almost sure she didn't imagine the kiss the previous night.  
There was a very, very, very good chance Charles and Erik were together.  
It was every fan fiction writer's wet dream.  
Now, it was only matter of make one of them confess, or both, although Raven rightly thought that Erik would be very hard to break.  
The thoughts that this new discovery woke were a real whirlwind, slamming inside her mind like a bunch of honeybees.

Charles moved and said something.  
Raven froze,fearing that her boiling mind would have woken Charles, but Erik (still deep asleep) muttered something in German and Charles calmed down, adjusted his seat and kept sleeping (and drooling) on Erik.  
Raven glanced at the clock.  
It was past 9 in the morning.  
Thank goodness it was Saturday. She couldn't even imagine herself going to school with all that was going on in that household.  
She got up to make herself a cup of coffee to wake her up completely as she waited for the two of them to wake up.  
And she waited.  
A lot.  
At 11 she had already did the dishes from the day before, did her laundry, settled her room a bit and took a shower.  
With her hair still damp, she returned to the living room only to find Erik carrying Charles in his arms to his room.  
After he closed the door, Raven wished him good morning and invited him take a cup of coffee in the kitchen.  
Her behaviour should have made some bell ring in Erik's head, because it took the cup with a dubious look.  
“Is there something I've missed?” He said.  
“What? Why would you think that?” Raven faked genuine surprise.  
“You're acting nice.”  
“So?”  
“Little sisters are never nice.” Erik stated, matter-of-factly.  
“I'm not your little sisters.”  
Erik shrugged.  
“You are Charles', though. Or at least, he considers you just like one.”  
Raven felt her cheek going red with pride, and did nothing to hide either that and the smile spreading on her lips.  
“Really?”  
Erik nodded, sipping his coffee.  
The joyous moment passed quickly as Raven turned immediately suspicious.  
“And how would you know that?”  
“He told me.” Erik said, as it was the most natural thing in the world. And for Charles, it probably was.  
“I wouldn't have imagine that the two of you were this close” she started, aiming loosely to her goal.  
“We've know each other for a number of years actually, I think it's quite normal.” He answered.  
Raven didn't mourn over the failed attempt, she knew she would have to go deeper to have an answer.  
“Oh, I didn't know that. So it's normal for you to sleep over in the weekends?”  
“ It happens. Even during the week. I work not so far from here, and my flat is an hour and half from down town, so when I get the night shift I stop here for the night. As you might have noticed, Charles doesn't mind having people around.”  
Raven's convictions started shaking.  
Erik's logic was iron strong.  
But she saw them on the couch, and the night before...  
She decided to go with another tactic.  
“So, yesterday you guys fell asleep on the couch as well?”  
Erik sighed.  
“Charles has trouble sleeping for more than three hours a night, but yesterday was so tired that he fell asleep on the couch. And on me, for that matter.” Erik massaged his neck.  
“And why didn't you push him away?” Raven tried again, a little bit more desperate now.  
“Because he's got a very light sleep, he needs nothing to wake up and he won't be able to fall back asleep again for the night.”  
“Really?” Raven was dubious.  
“Trust me. You haven't seen him during finals.” Erik pulled a terrified face.  
Raven laughed, even though she wasn't sure no more of what she thought she saw.  
“I'm not joking. Last year he woke me up at three in the morning to help him review his notes. Obviously he knew more than the book and the teacher together.”  
She imagined it too much well.  
She met Erik's glaze and they both started laughing.  
Erik started to make another jar of coffee (the man drank more coffee than he breathed air) as her mind raced with thoughts.  
Erik and Charles were best friends, probably, and she imagined that scene because she was tired and her brain had tricked her.  
She nodded to herself.  
Yes, it was just like that.  
They were just friends and she was misinterpreting signals and she won't risk her new acquired friendship with both of them asking stupid question.  
“Good morning, sunshine.” Erik said mockingly as he heard the noise Charles made entering the room (and stumbling on a chair).  
Charles yawned an answer as he ruffled lazily Raven's hair as a greeting.  
Charles was still sleepy (although it was almost midday), his hair ruffled and sticking everywhere, blue eyes veiled by heavy lids and dark lashes, skin paler than usual and a I'm-not-sure-in-what-millenium-we-areface as he headed towards the fridge. He managed somehow to look cute.  
He opened it and stared at its inside with a blank expression for thirty seconds at least.  
Erik snorted and turned to talk to him.  
“You really aren't a morning person, are you, Charles? If-”  
Raven didn't know why he stopped mid sentence and why after clearing his throat he stammered a bit until her gaze fell down.  
Erik's lower half was half hidden by the table, but Raven could clearly see an acute form of 'morning wood' from where she was sitting.  
“if..if you're looking for the tea, you won't find it in the fridge.”  
“What? Oh. Right.” Charles said, closing the fridge.  
Erik sighed and passed him a steaming mug.  
He had made tea as well as coffee.  
“Thank you, my friend.” uttered Charles, leaning against the kitchen counter, eyes almost closed.  
After a few sips he looked up and met Erik's gaze and suddenly shifted his position so that Raven wouldn't see him frontally.  
But she knew better than that, and was with satisfaction that she let a smile spread on her face.  
She hid her thoughts behind one of the walls Charles had taught her.  
Just best friends my balls, she thought. Best friends don't give each other hard on or eye fuck each other.  
Charles turned his face to her, puzzled.  
“Did I miss something? Why are you gloating? You two did something particular while I was asleep?” there was no reproach in his voice, just puzzlement.  
He turned to Erik, who just shrugged hiding his face in his -now refilled- coffee mug.  
“Nothing, Charles. Everything is just fine.” Raven smiled angelically.  
Charles smiled back, a little uncertain.  
“If you say so.”  
The day went on with the three of them doing nothing in particular since Erik already did Raven's homework.  
They spent the whole day eating in the living room, watching crappy TV ,dubbing the crappy z movie they stumbled upon later that night (surprisingly, Erik was very good at voices and Raven laughed until tears a few times), playing chess and ended with Charles and Erik bickering like old ladies.  
But that was no ordinary day.  
She kept noticing little things between the two guys that just a day earlier would have seemed normal but that now that she knew had a whole other meaning.  
For instance, Erik always poured Charles water during meals, whilst Charles let Erik pick the channel on TV and always sat at his left, as Erik claimed the spot nearest to the TV.  
Erik was always the black king at chess, but Charles refused to make the first move even though he was white, and when Raven played against Erik he boasted a bit moving the pieces with his powers, while Charles shook his head, sitting on the couch arm near Erik.  
Though the thing that Raven was shocked she didn't notice before was the physical contact between the two of them.  
Charles always had a hand on Erik's shoulder, on Erik's wrist, on Erik's chest when he claimed Erik couldn't dress properly and started smoothing his sweater (because of course Erik had spare clothes in the house) and while Erik was playing chess against Raven (destroying her at chess, actually) he kept poking him jokingly in the ribs, correcting his moves.  
And surprisingly Erik acted the same.  
He brushed his fingers against Charles' while pouring him water, a hand on Charles' knee when he played chess, elbowing him when he started digressing and agitating things dangerously in the air and he kept fixing Charles' hair that kept falling down his forehead when they were cooking.  
Because of course they cooked together. It was a continuous banter about cooking time, ingredients, quantities and for a moment Raven thought she would die with a fork in her eyes when all of the silverware started floating during one particularly animated discussion about eggs.  
Nevertheless it was crystal clear that they were more than synchronised, even when chopping carrots and frying chips.  
Raven stopped peeling potatoes and looked at them.  
They were side by side near the counter, Charles chopping carrots and swaying his knife and telling Erik that no, liking vegetables was not some kind of weird mutation and that it was normal to eat carrots while Erik (that wore a manly purple apron) fried and argued that vegetables were not that important in a healthy diet.  
They were so domestic and mundane she could scream.  
She thought about the rumours she heard in school while investigating on the Others.  
Everyone thought Charles hated Erik and vice versa, no one ever saw them talk to each other for more than three minutes and when during third year they both got elected in the school council everybody was terrified that they could jump at each other's throat at the least provocation.  
Luckily, Moira was part of the council too so she became the Official Pacifier between the Dark Overlord (Erik wasn't exactly friendly with his fellow schoolmates) and the White King (Charles knew almost everyone by name and he always asked nice questions about pets and hobbies).  
Everybody thought Erik as Bad and Charles as Good, and Raven wondered what face would they sport if only they saw the two of them cooking together on a Saturday morning.  
“I'm afraid pizza doesn't count as vegetable, even if it has tomatoes in-” Charles stopped mid sentence.  
He turned to Raven, eyes wide.  
“No one must know about this, Raven.”  
She frowned.  
“You promised not to read my mind, Charles.”  
He ignored it.  
“I mean it, Raven. No one must know Erik and I are friends.” he seemed afraid and he hadn't apologised for his slipping. _That ___was weird.  
“Why not?”  
Charles sighed.  
“It's complicated. A lot more than you could imagine.”  
She pictured the two of them on the couch and Charles caught that.  
“No, not that. It's something more serious and dangerous for us.”  
She cussed in her mind and pulled up one of the mental shield he had taught her.  
“Us?” she asked, after a few seconds.  
“Mutants.” Erik's reply was edge-cutting sharp.  
“Oh. Are you guys involved in something illegal?” she paled.  
“What? No, nothing like that!” Charles laughed briefly. “But it's something serious and we need everyone to keep thinking we barely know each other.”  
Raven pouted.  
“Why don't you tell me exactly what's going on? You know you can trust me!”  
Charles nodded.  
“I know I can trust you, but I don't trust your mind.” seeing Raven's look, he added: “You are not good enough yet with your mental defences, if I told what is going on someone could pry your thought open. Violently.” he shot a quick glance to Erik, who stood with a pan in hand and a purple apron but with a deadly serious look on his face.  
“Emma. Is she involved to?” Raven deduced quickly.  
“The less you know, the better. I can't risk you to suffer because of me.” Charles shook his head and the carrot that was still in his hand.  
“I see.” Raven wasn't exactly convinced.  
“Promise me, Raven. Please, it's very important. In return, I promise you that when your mental defences will be strong enough you'll be the first one to know.” he smiled.  
Raven nodded.  
“ Seems fair. I promise.”  
“Good. And now you have an incentive on practising your mental defences as well!” he said happily and went back to chopping carrots.  
“Oh, shut up, professor.” Raven rolled her eyes.  
“Don't call me like that, it makes me feel old.” Charles chided.  
“You are old though.” Erik interjected.  
“Oi! Don't team up with her!”  
Erik answered with something German that earned him an elbow between his ribs.  
Raven laughed at the scene and at something else.  
Charles hadn't denied the fact that he and Erik were together.  
They were dining in the living room when Charles and Raven's phones chimed at the same time.  
It was a message from Alex.  
It said simply: “Turn on the tv, channel six”.  
Charles should have received the same message because with a puzzle expression he fished the remote from one of the couches and turned the tv on.  
The usual sit-com was replaced with the real time images of the White House.  
Black suited men were running in and out, a bunch of media trucks and reporters crowded the closed gates.  
Channel six reporter was explaining in a hurry what was going on.  
“... leader of the terrorist group that has named itself 'Genoshan Liberation' has just now claimed to be the author of this clamorous act. Leaders of all nations are converging in a emergency meeting that will take place in Berlin in a few hours.”  
She kept talking about possible consequences that The Act might cause while the red ribbon of breaking news kept flowing on the lower part of the screen saying ' worldwide alert'.  
Then, a video montage of different cities passed on screen.  
Italy,UK, Germany, India, South Africa, America, Mexico, even Greenland and Iceland were among the nations were the terrorist had stricken.  
In front of their respective house of parliament, there were a body hanged with a bag on its head and a sentence written on their skin: 'Mutants are real, and we're coming for you'.  
The scene was almost identical in every city but for America, where the bodies were five.  
Charles had gone deadly pale and had to sit down.  
Erik was by his side, a hand on his shoulder and eyes fixed on the screen.  
Raven was covering her mouth with a hand, tears in her eyes as the images kept going on.  
Erik took the remote and switched channel.  
A thick German accent erupted from the telly, as confused and alarmed as the American one.  
“What.. what is he saying?” Raven asked feebly.  
“It's the same as in Washington. A body, the writing, the message from the leader and...” Erik frowned and turned up the volume.  
After a few seconds, his expression changed.  
“That's not possible. How could they...” he muttered.  
The German speaker kept talking.  
“What? What's going on? Erik!” Raven almost cried out.  
“They attacked all over the world at the same moment. With just a few seconds of jet lag. It's massive. They wanted everyone to know” Erik was tense and he was clenching his fists enough to draw blood.  
Charles hid his face in his hands.  
“Jesus. Jesus. What have they done.” he sounded on the verge of tears. “They're not ready. Humans are not ready. That's not how we should do it. They'll see us as a threat now instead of allies. Oh, Jesus, what have they done.”  
Hearing Charles' voice broke made Erik crouch and hug him.  
Charles' shoulders started shaking while he started sobbing silently.  
Raven noticed that tears were watering her cheeks.  
She didn't even realise she started crying.  
She knew how these things worked out. The mutants will be hunted down, considered as a threat, and they will be butchered until the threat was no more. That was the human nature, a feral instinct rooted too deep to be eliminated completely. She already saw it in her parents eyes, her real parents, when she shapeshifted in front of the for the first time. From the moment she was born she he had instinctively copied what she saw, so no one but the doctor that helped her mother give birth to her saw her in her blue form, and even he thought it was some kind of illusion his mind had tricked him into. So at the age of five, while she was watching a movie with Marilyn Monroe in her living room with her parents, she felt compelled to become just like her.  
Her mother yelled so loudly that out of fear Raven shifted back in her blue form for the first time in years.  
The day after that, her parents filed the documents to give her in adoption.  
That memory didn't help to stop the tears.  
Charles whimpered. She had forgot to pull up her mental defences and Charles had heard.  
“Raven. Raven!” he called, breaking the hug and stumbling toward her.  
He hugged her tightly as Erik embraced them both.  
“Oh God, oh God, what have they done, what have they done to you, what have they done to you...” Charles kept muttering.

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews and comments are always welcome!  
> Thanks to the lovely Dushenka for helping me with headcanons and tears and feels when needed and of course to my Charles that bears with me and with my impelling madness.


End file.
